1. Field
Embodiments relate to a drum type washing machine, and, more particularly, to a drum type washing machine having a balancer to attenuate vibration generated during a washing or dehydrating (drying) cycle of laundry.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a drum type washing machine includes a body defining the outer appearance of the washing machine, a tub provided in the body and used to receive wash water therein, and a rotating drum rotatably provided in the tub and adapted to rotate upon receiving a rotating force from a drive motor.
In operation of the above described drum type washing machine, as the rotating drum rotates in the tub, laundry is raised and dropped repeatedly, together with wash water, along an inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum, to achieve a laundry washing operation. Specifically, the rotating drum is configured to rotate during a washing cycle or dehydrating (drying) cycle, and in particular, to rotate at a high speed during a dehydrating (drying) cycle.
The rotating drum, however, may cause an imbalanced mass, during rotation thereof, by the weight of laundry filled in the rotating drum. That is to say, the drum type washing machine has a problem of vibration caused by the imbalanced mass of laundry. To solve this problem, the drum type washing machine is provided with a balancer to attenuate vibration caused during rotation of the rotating drum. The balancer includes a plurality of balls movably installed therein, the balls acting as mass bodies.
In the drum type washing machine, generally, the rotating drum causes approximately (about) 300 grams of the imbalanced mass during rotation thereof. Accordingly, to eliminate the imbalanced mass caused during rotation of the rotating drum, the balls of the balancer should have a weight of approximately (about) 300 grams.
When excessively small-diameter balls are installed in the balancer to deal with the imbalanced mass of approximately (about) 300 grams caused in the drum type washing machine, a great number of balls should be installed. This has the risk of causing a collision noise of the balls during rotation of the rotating drum. Also, when excessively large-diameter balls are installed in the balancer to deal with the imbalanced mass of approximately (about) 300 grams caused in the drum type washing machine, the volume of the balancer disadvantageously increases in correspondence to the increased diameter of the balls, and there is the problem of a reduction in the washing capacity of the rotating drum.